Hi all,
It seems really rather quiet round here, so I thought I’d lift my head above the parapet for the first time in a long time and welcome the new members who joined through March/April/May. If anyone who joined earlier than March wants a bit of a “Hello!” please just say and I’ll do you a welcome.
First, a tiny about me. My name is Richard and I’m a moderator on one of our other rare disease support forums. I’ve been hanging around one or more of Ben’s Friends patient communities for up to 8½ years. My home community is https://avmsurvivors.org and we have quite a lot of new starters each week.
Over here in Living With Fibro it is rather quiet and it would be good to make sure you know who’s who so we can say “Hi” and I hope a conversation or two might come from that. So here goes!
@Kageriley93 is in their thirties and is a fibro patient from Wisconsin who had soreness and stiffness since starting being a teenager but was not listened to, not believed and not diagnosed correctly until the age of 25. Sound familiar?! @Kageriley93 has an amazing fiancé and is getting married this month!
@Grizz02 lives in Alaska and was diagnosed in February this year, having had widespread joint pain continuously for a couple of years. @Grizz02 has been trying Cymbalta but had not noticed any improvement when she joined back in March. We all need to share a bit of love!
@lizziewine lives in Singapore and took ten years to get a diagnosis. She is just trying to live a normal life as best she can.
@Janice8684 joined us in April, lives in Florida and is in her sixties. Janice was diagnosed a loooong time ago – in 1991. Janice has to say that she no longer has any good days 
@ceroc is over 70 and lives in Thailand! What an amazing array of people we have from around the world! @ceroc has pain and stiffness all over but the constant pain in their upper arms is the gravest concern.
And finally @Kay226 joined in May, is also over 70 and lives in Indiana. Kay’s diagnosis came from weakness in the lower legs to start with. X-rays and nerve tests ruled out everything else, so Fibro was the gorgeous diagnosis.
These stories sound familiar? Please give each other a warm welcome to the club nobody wanted to join.
Lots of love all,
Richard